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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — happening now
  7. cap — a hat
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. hand — help
  18. cap — a lid
  19. foot — a measure
  20. drill — army training
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com